The Top 10 Riders to Watch at the 2012 Tour of Spain

Juan José Cobo Acebo (Movistar)

4 / 10

At last year’s Vuelta, Cobo won his first Grand Tour, and on the way to overall victory he snagged the tough stage that featured the feared Angliru climb. Before the 2011 Vuelta, Cobo had two mountain stage victories in Grand Tours to his credit: He won at Hautacam in the 2008 Tour de France, and in 2009 he won a stage of the Vuelta ahead of Alejandro Valverde and Cadel Evans. Stronger in the mountains than the time trial, Cobo has the right characteristics for this year’s Vuelta. So far this year, though, he’s had a lackluster season, finishing an anonymous 30th at the Tour. If he falters at the Vuelta, his teammate Alejandro Valverde could pick up the Movistar flag.